Your Taste on my Tongue
by charley07
Summary: The answer seemed obvious: marriage would mean he could stay with her and she wouldn't have to give him up. For a while, it was lovely. And then life got in the way. Caroline and Klaus married young and divorced soon after. What happens five years later when the past catches up to them and they're forced to come face-to-face with everything they gave up? AU/AH.
1. Chapter 1

**I shouldn't really be starting this story right now but the idea came to me while at work last night and wouldn't leave me alone so I started writing. This is just a brief introduction to the story, set in current day. The story itself will eventually jump back and forth between past and present but the past will always be italicized so you'll know when it's coming. Let me know what you think. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything TVD-related or MoMa.**

* * *

Caroline walked up the steps of MoMa and stared at the building in front of her. She hadn't been in a museum in five years—with good reason—so she wasn't entirely sure why she'd agreed to meet her blind date here, except that it was public so if things got awkward or he was a total weirdo, she could easily bail. With a sigh, she continued towards the doors to go inside.

"Afternoon, miss," the man at the ticket counter greeted her pleasantly. "Just one?"

"Yes," she nodded. Through email, she and her date had agreed they would pay for themselves, as it was a first date and they'd never met before.

"It's a nice day to be alone here," he told her. "Quiet, not many kids around." He took her money and handed her a ticket. "Enjoy yourself."

"Thank you," she murmured, grabbing a map from the display in front of his window before walking out to the lobby. Her date, Jon, had requested she meet him at Monet's _Water Lilies_ triptych so she set off, following the map towards her destination.

As she neared the famed painting, she noticed a small crowd gathered around what was apparently a new addition to the museum. She walked over to see what the fuss was about just as the other people walked away.

What she found stopped her heart. It was a landscape, painted mostly in shades of blue and green, of what appeared to be some stretch of land from above the ground. To others the work would just be beautiful to look at, just _The View from Heaven_, as it was titled, but Caroline knew better. She'd seen it for most of her life.

"Excuse me, Caroline?"

She turned to see an attractive man standing behind her, wearing khakis and a white Oxford button-up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. "Jon?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he smiled.

"You, too," she murmured, still distracted by the painting.

"It's incredible," he spoke, standing beside her. "The way the artist uses the colors to really create what it must look like from Heaven." He eyed the plaque beside the frame. "It says it's by 'Anonymous.'"

Caroline smirked. "Of course it does."

"What, do you not like when an artist doesn't put their name on their work?" he asked.

"No, it's not that," she shook her head. "I just happen to know the artist who did this and he would absolutely put 'Anonymous' to get more attention."

Jon raised an eyebrow questioningly. "How can you know that?"

"Because that view, the one that claims to be from Heaven, is actually the view from my old bedroom in Virginia," she explained confidently, knowing the line of trees to the lake as plain as day.

"Is the artist an old boyfriend or something?" he wondered.

Caroline finally turned to him once more. "I guess in our emails we never mentioned much about who we are so let my introduce myself. My name is Caroline Mikaelson and the small signature there, the 'NK' in the corner he thinks no one will see, stands for Niklaus Mikaelson, who just so happens to be my ex-husband."

"I see," Jon muttered uncomfortably. "I didn't realize you were divorced; Bonnie didn't mention that."

"Bonnie doesn't know," she shrugged. "She's my closest friend in New York but I've only been here for six months so I haven't shared all the intimate details of my life with her. I was young, we were dumb, and it ended five years ago. This painting is actually the first proof I've had since we split up that he's even alive because it's been total radio silence since I was twenty."

He laughed nervously. "Well, that doesn't mean he might've been dead."

Caroline frowned. "You don't know Nik. Or his father," she added quietly. "But enough about him. Should we move on?"

Sensing that she did seem to have moved on from her past, Jon offered his elbow. "Let's."

Downstairs, the door to the curator's offices opened and Steven Harris, MoMa's director of operations, led the young couple out into the lobby. "Mr. Mikaelson, we so look forward to the gala on Friday."

"Yes, I do, as well," Klaus nodded.

"How about you, Miss Petrova?" Steven asked of Klaus' companion.

Tatia looked at him. "Oh, I'm sure it will be lovely."

"If you'll both follow me, I'll show the room where the dinner will be held," Steven offered as he headed for the grand staircase near the center of the room.

Klaus took Tatia's hand and followed after him. "Come along, Tatia."

"How long will this take?" she whined. "I need to get my nails done this afternoon."

He sighed in annoyance. "This is important to me, darling. Can't you feign interest for just one more hour?"

"Whatever," she grumbled.

Caroline and Jon were admiring a piece by Marc Chagall when they heard footsteps behind them.

"The dinner will be served just through here," a man was saying. "This room is closest to where your exhibit will be displayed, Mr. Mikaelson."

Caroline froze at the name. She stopped mid-sentence and turned around quickly, only to come face-to-face with Klaus for the first time in five years.

The initial look of shock left his face almost immediately as he settled into his infamous smirk. "Hello, love."

Caroline stared at him for a long moment before quickly hurrying away, praying to God that this was all a terrible nightmare that she would wake up from shortly. When she realized it wasn't, she did the next most comforting thing possible: she sat down on the nearest bench and began to cry.


	2. Chapter 2

**Major appreciation for the reviews/follows/favorites. It's the best motivation for an author. So here's chapter two. It's a little bit of Klaus and Caroline in the present but mostly how they first met years ago. Trying not to be too OOC but it's hard to make characters you know as vampires into humans (except Caroline but human Caroline wasn't as fun as vamp Caroline). Let me know things you like or don't like or things you'd like to see. I'm open to anything. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

* * *

"I should probably go after her," Jon declared uncertainly after Caroline had taken off.

Klaus shook his head. "Allow me, mate; I'm the reason she ran away." He offered a hand. "Niklaus Mikaelson."

"The ex-husband," Jon realized instantly. "You did the painting of the view from her window."

Tatia frowned. "The what?"

Klaus shook his head. "Nothing. I'll find her."

"I don't know if that's the best idea," Jon said.

"You're very clearly on a first date," Klaus spoke up. "You have no idea what it takes to calm her down. Caroline Forbes is a mystery unto herself. Steven, I'll be brief." He turned and hurried off in the direction his ex-wife had just gone.

"Can someone please explain the window thing?" Tatia demanded once Klaus was out of earshot.

Despite the five years they'd been apart, Klaus still knew Caroline like the back of his hand so he wasn't surprised to find her near the Andy Warhol exhibit; pop art—which he considered trite and unworthy of museum space—had always been her favorite.

Seeing her sitting there, with tears streaming down her cheeks and her head in her hands, reminded Klaus of the first time he'd ever met Caroline Forbes. It was back in Mystic Falls, Virginia and even then, like now, all he'd wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and make her feel better.

* * *

**_Eight years earlier..._**

_"So, this is the Founder's Day Festival," Stefan explained to Klaus as they walked through the center of town. "The Founding Families like any and all opportunities to show off their superiority."_

_"How many Founding Families are there?" Klaus wondered, looking around at the crowd._

_"Five," Stefan answered. "The Lockwood's, the Forbes', the Gilbert's, the Fell's, and uhh, the Salvatore's."_

_Klaus chuckled. "Well, shouldn't you be up on that stage then, mate, being superior?"_

_"Even though our name matters, my family isn't much interested in these things anymore," Stefan said. "I only come for Elena." He pointed to the brunette on the stage. "That's her."_

_"She's pretty," Klaus commented politely, though entirely uninterested. He was immediately struck, however, by the blonde beauty beside her, wearing the sparkling tiara. "Who's the princess?"_

_"Caroline Forbes, reigning Miss Mystic Falls and Elena's best friend," Stefan replied. "She's cool. A little neurotic and a slight control freak but she's a good friend to Elena. And to me, actually. I'll introduce you to her later."_

_Elena stepped down off the stage with Caroline moments later and shuddered. "I hate all this stuff."_

_"Why?" Caroline scoffed. "I love it. It's one of the best things about being from a Founding Family."_

_The brunette rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd say that." She looked around. "Where did Tyler go?"_

_"I don't know," Caroline shook her head, scanning the crowd for her boyfriend. "I'm sure he's off drinking in secret with Matt and your brother."_

_"Well, if those three know how to do anything, it's drink away from prying eyes," Elena smirked. "I'm gonna find Stefan. His roommate moved in this morning so Stefan wants to introduce us. Wanna come?"_

_"No, I'll find Tyler," Caroline sighed. "And when he's inevitably drunk, I'll sneak him home before his mother sees him. Tell Stefan I said hi."_

_Caroline turned and headed in the direction of the Falls, where most of her peers often snuck away to so they could drink without being caught._

_"Hey, Care!" Matt called out, hurrying to catch up with her. "Where are you going?"_

_"To find Tyler," she answered. "Have you seen him?"_

_"Um, no," he denied quickly. "But Mrs. Lockwood just said she thought she saw him heading for the school. I could walk over there with you."_

_Caroline stopped and stood directly in front him. "What are you hiding, Matt? Where's Tyler?"_

_"I told you, I don't know," he lied. As the town Golden Boy, Matt Donovan had always had a hard time lying or hurting others; some considered it a virtue, others a vice. "Maybe he went home?"_

_"Or maybe he's exactly where I think he is and there's a reason you don't want me to find him," she declared, pushing past him once more in the direction of the Falls._

_"Caroline, stop!" Matt yelled after her._

_Ignoring him, she hurried towards the sound of a girl giggling, her heart dropping to her stomach as she recognized the voice. When she reached 'their place,' the place she and Tyler, her boyfriend of two years, often met when they snuck out at night, she found him all but groping Matt's trashy sister, Vicki. "What the hell, Tyler?"_

_The mayor's son pushed Vicki away. "Caroline! What are you doing here? I thought you were doing your Miss Mystic duties?"_

_Caroline scoffed indignantly. "And what, that gave you free reign to come down here with the town slut?"_

_"Hey!" Vicki cried in defense. "Don't blame me for your boyfriend's wandering eye. Maybe you should ask yourself why he's branching out to begin with. It's not easy dating Vanilla Barbie."_

_"Vick!" Matt warned, having caught up to them. "What is going on with you lately?"_

_Vicki rolled her eyes and headed backwards towards the woods. "I'm outta here."_

_Matt frowned and headed after her. "Care, I'm so sorry. I had no idea he was down here with Vicki."_

_Caroline said nothing. Instead she just stared at Tyler, hoping to burn a hole directly through his forehead._

_"Caroline, I—," Tyler began._

_"Don't!" she snapped as angry tears filled her eyes. "I cannot believe this is happening. We start school in less than a week and I'm now going into my senior year single."_

_"Wait, you're breaking up with me?" Tyler realized._

_Furious that he believed she would forgive him of his transgression so easily, Caroline reached out to slap him as hard as she could. "Fuck you, Tyler." Before he could say another word, she spun in her Betsey Johnson sandals and hurried away from him._

_"I should really find Caroline," Elena declared an hour later. "I saw Tyler a little bit ago and she wasn't with him."_

_"But my dad just got here and you know how much easier it is for me to be around him if you're with me," Stefan told her. "I pointed Caroline out to Klaus; he'll find her."_

_"Just look for the girl proudly wearing a tiara," Elena joked as Stefan dragged her away._

_Klaus frowned at being resigned to searching for the girl but alas, he did as told and went in search of Caroline. Being a bit later in the evening, the crowd had thinned out so he had an easier time navigating than he and Stefan had had earlier but after looking through the town square, he came up empty-handed. With a sigh, he turned back in the direction Stefan had gone off after his father. As he walked, he noticed a girl sitting alone on a bench, away from everyone else. He recognized her as Caroline and started towards her but immediately noticed that she was crying softly into her hands._

_"You all right there, love?" he asked hesitantly as he approached her._

_Caroline looked up and quickly wiped her eyes. "What? I'm fine."_

_"You don't look it," he declared, sitting down beside her._

_"I don't even know you," she muttered. "I'm fine."_

_He offered a hand. "Niklaus Mikaelson. You can call me 'Nik' or 'Klaus,' whichever you prefer."_

_Realization struck Caroline. "You're Stefan's roommate, aren't you? Elena mentioned that you were British."_

_"And you just assume that I'm him?" Klaus smirked._

_"Well, I know everyone else in this town and I doubt we'd ever get two new people on the same day, let alone two Brits," she replied. "I'm Caroline Forbes," she added sadly._

_"Miss Mystic Falls, correct?" he teased lightly. "Those tears staining your cheeks aren't doing much for your title. Shouldn't you be in a parade somewhere, carrying a bouquet of roses while the people chant your name?"_

_"Yeah, right," she scoffed. "Be easier to be happy if I hadn't just caught my boyfriend cheating on me with his best friend's sister."_

_Klaus frowned. "I'm sorry. But if he chose anyone over you, he's clearly an imbecile because you're beautiful, love."_

_Caroline eyed him warily. "You can't just sweep into town with your accent and those dimples and think any random girl will fall into your arms. I'm too smart to be seduced by you, you know."_

_He laughed. "Well, that's why I like you."_

_"You don't even know me," she shot back._

_"I'd like to," he replied quickly. "Come on, you don't think Stefan would be friends with a monster, do you?"_

_"Maybe," she shrugged. "His older brother is one and Stefan still keeps him around."_

_"I've not met him yet," Klaus admitted._

_"Well, you're in for a real treat then because Damon Salvatore is all kinds of fun," she assured him sarcastically, standing up._

_"Wait, I'm meant to return you to Elena," he explained. "That's why I came looking for you; she was tied up at the time."_

_"That means Giuseppe Salvatore is here and Stefan dragged her off to greet him," she sighed. "Well, come on then, Nik, let's get back to the festival."_

_He stood and followed after her silently; pleased she'd called him 'Nik' instead of 'Klaus,' because the former had always been more personal to him. He wasn't sure why but something about this girl, this _high schooler_, intrigued him and he wanted to know more about her._

_Elena stood by as Stefan and his father spoke about the classes Stefan would be taking the coming semester. As she looked around, she spotted Caroline walking up the hill from the lake with Klaus close by, laughing at something he'd said. Elena had been friends with Tyler Lockwood since childhood—children of the Founding Families were forced into play dates at birth—but she wasn't his biggest fan so if things between him and Caroline were going south, maybe Klaus would be a good option for her best friend._

_"Thank you for finding me," Caroline said as they reached Elena and Stefan. "And for making me forget about Tyler for a little bit."_

_"Of course," Klaus nodded. "I enjoyed your company."_

_She scoffed lightly. "Talking like that comes natural to you? Really?"_

_"Blame my London upbringing," he smiled cheekily, flashing the dimples that made her slightly weak in the knees. "Will I see you again, Caroline?"_

_Caroline grabbed Elena's hand and started dragging her friend away with a sparkle in her eyes. "I don't know, Nik. Will you?"_

_Stefan chuckled and patted his roommate's shoulder. "And that, my friend, is the enigma known as Caroline Forbes."_

* * *

"Caroline, sweetheart?" Klaus spoke up quietly.

She sighed. "Go away, Nik."

"You know I can't do that, sweetheart," he replied as he sat down beside her. "I don't mean to upset you."

"Well, you do!" she cried in exasperation. "I haven't seen or spoken to you in five years and on my first date—a blind date!—in three years, I run into you and your beautiful whoever-she-is? I don't know what terrible thing I did in a past life but it must've been really fucking awful."

"Seeing you isn't so easy for me either," he admitted.

"It isn't?" she asked with a tone he knew all too well. "Does it suck because you woke up one morning and I was gone? Oh, wait, that's what happened to me."

"I'm pleased to see you haven't lost your sharp tongue," he smiled, showcasing Caroline's sworn enemy—his dimples. "Can't we talk about this like adults?"

"Are you an adult now?" she asked. "You weren't five years ago."

"Things change," he murmured. "I know I wronged you and I don't deserve your time but it would be a great honor if you would come to the gala on Friday. It's at 7:30 and dinner starts at 9."

"You rich people and your late dinners," she grumbled, standing up. "I don't think so, Nik."

"I'll put you on the list, just in case," he called after her.

"Great," she whispered, hurrying away from him before the fresh set of tears began to fall, leaving her date in the dust.


	3. Chapter 3

**I usually am not one for updating so quickly so please don't get used to this if you're following, reviewing, etc... For some reason, however, this story is easy to write and is coming very naturally, probably because I have most of it mapped out in my head already. Most chapters will be like this: starts in the present, a flashback, and ends in the present. I'm essentially telling two stories in one so hopefully I'm making it easy enough to follow along. I truly appreciate the follows/alerts/reviews; it motivates me even more to keep going. If you are reading, let me know what you like/dislike cause I like that stuff, too. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

* * *

Caroline reached her apartment in Chelsea in record time and immediately went to her kitchen for a drink. Digging through her cabinets, she plucked a bottle of bourbon from one of the highest shelves and poured a glass. It burned going down but Damon always told her that bourbon made everything bad a little better.

Her first date in three years and of course she would run into her bastard of an ex-husband. So much for all those hours she'd logged volunteering at the food bank; she clearly hadn't earned any good karma back from the universe. It didn't help any that he looked incredible. His dirty blonde hair still had its curl and was a bit shorter than she remembered but it suited him. He'd been wearing a custom suit (probably recommended by Elijah) but she noticed the paint stains on his hands, indicating he was still the same artist underneath it all.

Caroline had never known happiness like when she was married to Klaus, despite how young they'd been. He was smart and stubborn. His temper often got the best of him but she could calm him down better than anyone. And when she was spinning off and her anxiety was sky high, it only took a certain look from him—as if she were the only person in the entire world—to bring her back.

But on the flip side, their fighting had been out of control. Klaus was impulsive and made decisions she didn't like without consulting her first. Or he would shut her out and lock himself into his studio for days without emerging for anything, save for food late at night after she'd gone to bed. And she knew she could be dramatic, blowing every little thing out of proportion. It was amazing their marriage had lasted two years, especially at the end, but then she woke up one day and he was gone. Divorce papers showed up two weeks later and she never saw him again. Until now.

She wanted to call Elena to vent but part of her wanted to go back to bed and wake up to find out it had all been a terrible nightmare. Except the way he spoke to her, in that soft tone that had always been so comforting when she was younger, made it very much real.

How dare he invite her to his exhibit gala? After what he'd done to her, did he honestly believe she would show up to support him? It was like breaking up with Tyler all over again; men with egos so huge they couldn't imagine things not going their way. After finishing her drink, she rinsed her glass and sat down on her couch. She knew she should've called Jon to explain, or at least text him, but she didn't care to. He was nice enough, that was for sure, but a little bland and not very talkative. Museums weren't her favorite places either—for obvious reasons—but if she had more to say about art than he did, it was a problem.

"Damn him," she grumbled, picking up her phone.

"Hey, Care," Elena answered moments later. "How was the date?"

"It was fine," Caroline replied, "until we reached the Marc Chagall display and ran into my old pal Nik."

"What?!" Elena gasped, turning away from her colleagues at the counseling center. "Klaus is in New York?"

"Obviously," Caroline snapped. She took a deep breath. "Sorry. I just didn't think I'd ever see him again, let alone while I was on a date."

"You know, Stefan mentioned last week that MoMa was hanging one of his paintings," Elena admitted. "I guess that's why he's there. I should've told you."

"Yeah," Caroline whispered. "Elena, the piece is called _The View from Heaven_ and it's the view from my old bedroom in Mystic Falls."

"Oh, Care," Elena breathed. "I'm so sorry. I honestly had no idea about any of this. I don't think Stefan has spoken to him much lately."

Caroline cursed herself for telling Stefan to keep her completely in the dark about Klaus all these years. A year or so after the divorce, Klaus had reached out to Stefan, hoping to mend their friendship, as Stefan had sided with Caroline through the split. Benevolently, Caroline had consented, so long as he was never mentioned in front of her. If she had let Stefan keep her up-to-date on Klaus' doings, she might've been more prepared.

"Do you think you'll see Stefan today?" Caroline asked. "I know he's at school right now but I'd like to talk to him."

"I'm not sure," Elena replied. "He's in a lab til eight or so and then usually crashes. But I could invite him over for a late dinner."

"Please," Caroline begged. "I think it's time I ask questions I should've been asking for the last five years."

"Okay," Elena agreed. "I'll text him and ask. If he comes, I'll have him call you as soon as he arrives."

"Thanks," Caroline sighed. "Enough about me. How's life at home?"

"Good," Elena told her, "but exhausting. I have two new patients who don't like to talk much so it makes my job a tad difficult."

"And Damon?" Caroline wondered through gritted teeth.

"He's fine," Elena smiled, knowing it still bothered Caroline to this day that she'd ended up with the elder Salvatore brother. "The Grill is busier than ever but you wouldn't know it with how little he works."

"Lazy son of a bitch," Caroline muttered. "I still can't believe Ben Fell let him buy the Mystic Grill."

"Why?" Elena smirked. "He kept it in business for several years after he left school."

"I know," Caroline remembered. "He was sitting in his usual seat at the end of the bar on my first date with Nik."

* * *

_"Are you sure I look okay?" Caroline asked as she spun in front of her mirror for the hundredth time. "I haven't been on a date in so long. Tyler and I usually just hung out at his house or the Falls."_

_"You look amazing," Elena gushed. "Stop obsessing. Klaus obviously likes you, Care. Stefan said that when they lived in the dorms, Klaus barely left the art studio and never showed any interest in girls. He was kind of a loner but that's changed now. Stefan said being around you makes him better."_

_"He's nice," Caroline shrugged. "A little intense sometimes but his dimples are kind of to die for."_

_Elena grinned. "Yes, I do see you swoon when he flashes you a smile. Which is like, all the time."_

_"Stop," Caroline blushed. "We're just going to the Grill."_

_"Say hi to Damon," Elena grumbled. "I'm sure he's there, drinking his life away."_

_"What an idiot," Caroline rolled her eyes. "Damon Salvatore will never live up to his younger brother in Giuseppe's eyes and that kills him. He dropped out of college and came back here to sit on the same barstool every day and drown his sorrows in bourbon. He's a loser."_

_Elena sighed. "He's just...misunderstood. Stefan is constantly trying to mend their relationship but Damon shuts him out. I want to help but I don't know what to do."_

_"Stay out of it," Caroline warned, stepping into her favorite Steve Madden wedges. "Let Stefan and Damon do all that on their own."_

_"Okay," Elena sighed. "Is Klaus picking you up here?"_

_Before Caroline could respond, the doorbell rang._

_"I'll get it," Elena offered, hurrying out of Caroline's room to the front door. She pulled it back and greeted Klaus. "Hey."_

_"Elena," he nodded politely. "Is Caroline ready?"_

_"Yes," she confirmed, pulling back the door. "Come in."_

_"Thank you," he murmured, stepping inside._

_Caroline gave herself a final once-over in her mirror before smoothing out her white sundress and walked out to meet her date._

_"You look beautiful, sweetheart," he told her earnestly upon seeing her._

_"Thank you," she beamed. "Are you ready?"_

_He offered an elbow. "I am."_

_"Bye, E," Caroline said as she walked out of her house with her hand looped through his arm. "I'll call you later."_

_"To tell her about our date, no doubt?" Klaus laughed as he opened the passenger door of his BMW for her._

_"Duh," Caroline scoffed. "That's what girls do, Nik. I'll share every detail and she'll tell me if she thinks we should go out again."_

_Klaus pulled away from the curb. "That's assuming I want to."_

_"You will," she smirked confidently. "I'm very charming."_

_"I know," was all he said._

_They arrived at the Mystic Grill shortly and were seated at a booth near the bar. Caroline waved to Matt, a bus boy there, and sat down across from Klaus._

_"I'm glad you agreed to come out with me today," he told her softly._

_"Why?" she asked, opening her menu._

_"I'm never quite sure how you feel about me," he admitted._

_"I like you," she said honestly, "but you're different around me than you are around others. If it's just us, you're sweet and you open up but when Stefan and Elena are around, you're quiet. Why is that?"_

_"You make it easier," he replied. "Stefan is a good friend and by extension, so is Elena, but there's a light in you that I'm drawn to. You're honest and not afraid to say whatever it is you're thinking. I like that, Caroline."_

_"Honesty is important," she agreed. "Tyler was never very honest and that burned me in the end. I had to toughen up."_

_"You're like me, you know," he told her. "You put on a good face to Stefan and Elena like you're completely moved on and have a bit of an edge to you now but around me, you're softer. You let your guard down a bit. I like that, too."_

_Caroline could feel her cheeks heating up so she pretended to study the entrées._

_Klaus smiled but said nothing as their waitress approached the table. He shook his head. "We'd like someone else."_

_Vicki Donovan scoffed. "Excuse me?"_

_Caroline's head shot up but before she could say anything, Klaus continued._

_"We would like another waiter," he said slowly. "Shall I spell it out for you?"_

_"I'd ask why but my guess is that I make your little date uncomfortable," Vicki smirked. "Last time she saw me, her boyfriend's tongue was shoved down my throat."_

_"Ex-boyfriend," Caroline muttered._

_Vicki leaned down. "Speak up, beauty queen."_

_"I said, _ex_-boyfriend," Caroline repeated, locking eyes with the older girl. "I dumped Tyler that night." Now it was her turn to smirk. "But you didn't know that, did you? He's probably still treating you like some side piece despite having been single now for a month. You aren't good enough to date Tyler Lockwood and he knows that."_

_Klaus bit the inside of his cheek to suppress his laugh. His favorite thing about Caroline Forbes was that she never quite said the expected._

_"I'll find you another waiter," Vicki finally said before storming off._

_"Don't say anything," Caroline pleaded to Klaus. "I'm not proud when I do stuff like that but she just gets on my nerves."_

_"All right," he agreed. He let a long moment pass. "But I was very impressed."_

_The heat returned to Caroline's cheeks._

_"It is really not our night," Klaus grumbled moments later after they'd ordered._

_"What do you mean?" Caroline asked, following his gaze across the restaurant. "Oh."_

_Tyler had just walked in and was greeting Matt near the door._

_"We can go somewhere else," Klaus offered. "There must be other places to eat in this town."_

_"No, it's fine," she shook her head. "I'm happy to be here with you, Nik, and I won't let Tyler or Vicki ruin it."_

_With a smile, he reached across the table to take her hand in his. "Good."_

_"You know, I heard you were spending time with some friend of Salvatore's but I never thought it would be this guy," Tyler sneered as he stood beside their table. "He sits in the town square and draws all day."_

_"He's an artist, Tyler," Caroline mumbled. "You play football, Nik sketches."_

_Tyler rolled his eyes. "That's weird."_

_"Yes, I can see how charcoal pencils might seem weird to a guy who runs around in locker rooms with other guys," Klaus responded coolly, "but it's what I do so back off."_

_Knowing the situation was only going to get worse, Caroline excused herself. "I need to use the restroom."_

_She walked away quickly towards the bathroom but stopped when a familiar voice called to her._

_"Looks tense over there, Blondie," Damon chuckled darkly. "First date not exactly going well with the Brit, is it?"_

_She wanted to snap back at him but couldn't. "No. I really like him but Mystic Falls doesn't seem to want me to move on."_

_He offered her his glass. "Have a little bourbon. It has a tendency to make everything bad a little better."_

* * *

"Care?" Elena's voice came through the phone. "You there?"

"Huh?" Caroline replied. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about how Damon sort of saved my first date with Nik."

"Didn't he get you drunk and Klaus had to take you back to the boarding house so your mom wouldn't find out?" Elena remembered.

"Yes," Caroline confirmed, "but it got us away from Vicki and Tyler and he took care of me all night. It was the first time I knew I was falling in love with him."

Elena frowned on her end. "Seeing him was that bad, huh?"

"Like taking a bullet," Caroline whispered softly. "We never had closure so it wasn't like I fell out of love; I just turned it off."

"And now what?" Elena asked.

"No fucking clue," Caroline admitted. "The only thing I know is that I'll never hear from Jon again."

"Who's Jon?" Elena wondered.

"My blind date," Caroline muttered as a knock sounded on her door. "Hey, E, I gotta go but I'll talk to you later." She ended the call and went to open her door. "Oh, my God."

"Hello, darling," the male smiled arrogantly from under the threshold.

"Kol?!"


	4. Chapter 4

**It's been a long time since I've updated this story and if you're reading it, I apologize for that. I've just been so wrapped up in "The Wedding" that I've kind of neglected my other stuff. But I'm trying to prioritize and I wanted to finish this chapter to get it up. Hopefully you're still interested. I have so much of this story written in various places in parts so it's just a matter of putting it all together. It definitely jumps around a lot but like I said before, I'm essentially telling the past and present at once. As always, reviews are swell, as are favorites and follows. Let me know what you think and who you'd like to see Caroline interact with in the present that was a part of her past with Klaus. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

* * *

"Miss me?" Kol grinned, letting himself into Caroline's apartment.

"No," she denied. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, Nik mentioned that he ran into you today and I got jealous," her former brother-in-law told her. "I missed you so I did some digging to find your apartment. You are not easy to track down, Mrs. Mikaelson. No one seems to know you here."

"I've only been in New York for six months," she explained. "And it's _Ms. _now, not _Mrs._"

Kol nodded. "Right, you're divorced. How's that treated you these last five years?"

"Peachy," Caroline muttered. "What do you want, Kol?"

"I was curious about you," he replied honestly. "We were family once upon a time."

"Nik and I have been divorced now longer than we dated and were married," she pointed out. "I haven't heard from anyone in your family in five years."

He sat down on her couch. "Yes, we did sort of forget about you, did we not? Not our finest moment. But Nik is my brother and I had to take his side because my father made me." He looked at her. "He admits to his success because of you. Marrying him, letting him stay in the States? He'd have ended up working for Mikael if it weren't for you loving him like you did at 18, darling."

"Yeah, well, Nik was never meant to be a businessman," Caroline shrugged. "He's an artist." She sat in the armchair opposite him. "I noticed he has a new muse, as well."

"Tatia Petrova?" Kol scoffed. "Hardly. He's only with her to because Mikael wanted it that way. Elijah is the one who loves her but Father thought she was too much of a loose cannon for the good son."

Caroline furrowed her brow. "He 'thought' that? If he doesn't now, why isn't she with Elijah?"

"Our father died three months ago," he said quietly. "We've all told Nik to cut her loose but he won't do it and she won't shame her family any further by leaving Nik for Elijah so publicly. No one really knows why they stay together but at this point, he'll probably marry her."

"Ah," she breathed, feeling her heart fall to her stomach.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly. "No one wants them to be married, rest assured. I honestly think if he does propose, Mum will kill him. She hates Tatia and tries daily to break them up."

"Well, Nik isn't going to do anything Esther tells him," Caroline pointed out. "Not after the way she let Mikael treat him when he was a kid."

Kol was quiet. "No, I suppose you're right. She doesn't really deserve it anyways." He propped his feet up on her coffee table. "So, are you doing to his gala on Friday?"

Caroline scoffed. "Why in God's name should I?"

"Because you're Caroline, the benevolent one," he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's a big deal for him and he'd like you to be there. Like I said, it wouldn't be possible without you."

"Well, good for him," she grumbled. "I have no desire to ever see him again. To be honest, I'd be content to never see you again after you leave here today."

"Don't say that," he pleaded. "Think of all the fun we used to have when I came to visit."

"Fun?" she laughed incredulously. "You'd hit on anything female with a pulse. I couldn't take you anywhere. The mayor actually asked me to contain you."

"Only because your small town wasn't used to the kind of fun I brought with me," he chuckled. "Besides, don't pretend like you didn't enjoy sticking it to her. She was awful to you after her son cheated on you."

"It amazes me that you behave like you do and still have the memory of an elephant," she smirked. "As much as I hate you and your family, it is sort of nice to see you, Kol."

He beamed. "Of course it is! I'm handsome and devilishly charming. Now tell me, what is it you've done these six months in New York, Caroline?"

"I work in public relations for Garner & Rey," she told him. "I'm Elise Rey's personal assistant right now but she's been giving me more responsibility lately and I could see a promotion by Halloween."

"I know the firm," he nodded. "They did some work for Rebekah when she opened her boutique a couple years ago. Elise Rey is a spitfire."

"She's strict," Caroline agreed, "but the best at her job and she's been kind to me."

Kol nodded. "I'm glad to hear it, darling. So, what's it going to take for me to convince you to come to Nik's show?"

"A million dollars," she joked.

"Don't tease," he warned. "You know I can make that happen."

She rolled her eyes and stood to walk to her kitchen. "You're disgusting, Kol."

"Oh, don't be so judgmental," he advised, following after her. "Look, I know that he doesn't deserve to have you forgive him, Caroline, but this is huge for him and he needs you there. You've always been there for the biggest moments in his life."

"Like what?" she scoffed. "It's been five years. He has Tatia now anyways."

"Trust me, Tatia wants to see him fail," he grumbled. "Then, once he's hit rock bottom, she can leave him and be with Elijah. She just has to prove herself worthy first."

Caroline frowned. "He won't hit rock bottom. Nik's always been quick on his feet. When he left school to paint full-time, he didn't even flinch when he told Mikael and Esther and they were both horrified."

Kol eyed her. "You know why he didn't flinch when he told them; you were sitting next to him, holding his hand."

"Kol, why are you doing this?" she demanded. "Did he send you here, thinking that if I couldn't be charmed by him I could be sweet-talked by you? It isn't going to work."

He held up his hands in surrender. "All right, all right, I give up. I can't make you attend." He smiled. "It really is good to see you though, Caroline. Some of us do miss you."

"I appreciate that," she muttered. "But you should really be going now. I have work to finish up for tomorrow since I left at lunch today."

"Ah, yes, Nik mentioned you were on a date," Kol remembered. "How was that?"

"Oh, every blind date should end with running into your ex-spouse," she deadpanned. "How do you think it went?"

"Not well, apparently," he smirked, checking his watch. "Okay, I should be going now but it would be nice to see you at the gala on Friday, darling. I'm not the only one who thinks so." He quickly kissed her cheek and hurried out of the apartment.

Caroline stood in her kitchen for a long time after he left, trying desperately to keep the memories suppressed but it was difficult. She remembered the day Klaus had told her he was dropping out of college like it was yesterday because despite his decision, it had been one of the happiest days of her life.

* * *

"_I'm leaving University," Klaus told Caroline as they sat in his room of the boarding house on Friday night._

_Caroline, who'd been lying against his chest while he played with her hair, sat up to look at him. "What?"_

"_I won't be returning after this semester," he explained. "I see no use in going to classes that will do nothing for my future."_

"_But if you quit school, you'll lose your student visa and have to go back to England," she pointed out. _

_He frowned. "Yes, I suppose that's true. I hadn't considered that."_

"_Nik," she whispered to her boyfriend of eight months, "you can't leave. What about us? We've made summer plans with Stefan and Elena."_

_Klaus pulled her back to him comfortingly. "We'll figure it out, love. If I have to return home, we can do long-distance."_

"_I don't want you to leave," she murmured as tears filled her eyes. "I love you, Nik."_

"_I love you, too, sweetheart," he replied. "We will figure something out. I don't want to leave you either."_

_They sat together in silence for a long time, trying to think of what could be done. She couldn't ask him to get a job for a work visa because he was an artist and needed to focus on that. _

"_What if we got married?" she breathed uncertainly. "If you were my husband, you'd get a green card for that and you could stay here."_

_He smiled. "I can't ask you to do that."_

"_I want to," Caroline assured him. "I love you and I don't want to lose you, Nik."_

"_Caroline, I don't think you know what you're saying," he said. "I think the U.S. government takes green card marriages very seriously."_

"_We'll talk to Damon," she decided, as if her mind was already made up."He was going to go to law school before he dropped out so he can help us."_

_Klaus wanted to talk her down from this but at the same time, she had a point. Yes, they were young—she hadn't quite finished high school yet—but they were also completely in love knew each other better than anyone else. "If we're going to be married, we'll do it the right way. I'll speak to your mother and buy a ring. You deserve the whole nine yards, love."_

"_I don't need all of that," she shook her head. "I just want to keep you forever."_

"_Well, I'd like that, too," he smiled, pressing his lips to hers._

_They remained in his bed for the rest of the night._

"_You want to do _what?_" Damon scoffed the following afternoon when Caroline and Klaus cornered him in the Salvatore kitchen. "You two are idiots."_

_Caroline rolled her eyes. "We're not asking for your opinion on the matter, Damon; we just need your help."_

"_Then ask my dad," Damon advised. "I quit school because I had no desire to practice law. He's the best lawyer in Virginia."_

"_Damon," Caroline pleaded. "If we ask your dad, he'll tell mine and I don't want that. My mom already gave us her blessing this morning at breakfast."_

_The older Salvatore brother frowned. "Fine, I'll help you. But I still think you're idiots."_

"_Duly noted," Klaus nodded. In the time he'd been living with the Salvatore men, he had discovered Damon was not one of his favorite people. "What do we need to do?"_

"_Well, I need to do a little research before anything major can happen and after that, you'll apply for the green card," Damon explained._

"_We should also probably tell your family and my friends," Caroline added. "I don't think your parents will be too pleased about you leaving school." She'd met Mikael and Esther Mikaelson just once, when they'd visited around the holidays, and they were formidable, to say the least. _

_Klaus sighed. "Yes, I suppose we should tell them that but I would rather wait until after we're married. That way, they won't be able to use me losing my student visa against me by bringing me home now." He saw the look of trepidation on his now-fiancée's face. "Don't worry, love; my parents adore you."_

"_We'll see about that," she muttered. "Thank you, Damon, for agreeing to this."_

"_Oh, it'll cost you, Blondie," Damon assured her as he backed away towards the hall. "I don't quite know how yet but it will."_

"_I'm going to call everyone over," Caroline declared. "And then later we can video chat with your family?"_

"_If that's what you want," Klaus nodded. "I'd prefer to tell them over email but I think Rebekah would have my head if I did that and Kol will like to tease me to my face about it."_

_Caroline laughed. Though his parents were on the scary side, she did like Klaus' siblings quite a bit. Elijah, the oldest at 25, was already a vice president in the family's conglomerate, while Finn, the next son of 23, was working his way up the ladder after finishing college the year before. Klaus was the stereotypical middle child and had left England as soon as possible to get away from his cruel father and naïve mother. Kol came next and was just a year younger at 19; he was still undecided at Cambridge and had a reputation in the UK for his partying and womanizing. The family rounded out with Rebekah, the only girl, who was finishing her final year of secondary school like Caroline. She was Klaus' favorite sibling and was often possessive and protective of her older brother but she seemed to like Caroline just fine, even though Caroline preferred Kol to the others. _

"_Elena and Stefan are going to freak out," Caroline breathed. "Matt will think it's all a joke until the actual wedding and Tyler will explode."_

"_Elena and Stefan will come around," Klaus assured her. "They know how happy we are together and won't want to see us separated."_

_She smiled tightly. "I guess we'll find out."_

* * *

Caroline picked up her phone and dialed Elena once more, afraid that if she waited too long, she would talk herself out of the decision she'd made.

"Care?" Elena said upon answering. "Is everything okay?"

"Kol just showed up," Caroline explained. "E, I'm going to go to his gala."

Elena was momentarily silent. "You're what?"

"I'm going," Caroline declared confidently. "Nik was my husband for two years and then he just left one morning so I'm going to that gala and I'm going to get the answers. After five long years, I think I deserve at least that."

"Well, good luck," Elena sighed.

"I'm not going to need it," Caroline smirked. "He will."


End file.
